Los Angeles psychedelic band
the Peanut Butter Conspiracy emerged in 1966 from the remains of
the Ashes, formed the previous year by singer
Pat Taylor, guitarist
John Merrill, bassist
Alan Brackett, and drummer
Spencer Dryden (who soon left the group to replace
Skip Spence in
the Jefferson Airplane). Adding drummer Jim Voigt as
Dryden's replacement,
the Ashes recorded a self-titled LP for the Vault label before disbanding, with
Merrill,
Brackett, and Voight recruiting singer Sandi Robison and harpist/guitarist Lance Fent to form
the Peanut Butter Conspiracy; after debuting on Vault with the single "Time Is After You," the band signed to major-label Columbia, where 1967's "It's a Happening Thing" heralded the spring release of their debut LP, the
Gary Usher-produced
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading. Ex-
Sound Machine guitarist Bill Wolff replaced Fent for the follow-up, The Great Conspiracy, which like its predecessor failed to make much of a commercial impact; only
Robison,
Merrill, and
Brackett remained for 1969's For Children of All Ages, which featured new keyboardist
Ralph Shuckett and drummer
Michael Stevens.
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy disbanded soon after, with
Brackett pursuing studio work, Fent later collaborating with
Randy Meisner, and Wolff joining Fusion. ~ Jason Ankeny